Thankful

We thank God for so many things, but this Thanksgiving we're especially thankful for...

Wagons.





Especially wagons that we can steer while riding.

I think this kind of wagon only exists at Mimi and Papa's house. Notice he's already signing "more."


He held on tighter while I was driving.

We're also thankful for swings.



And sweet cousins to push us in swings.

We're thankful for trees and their leaves.


And we're thankful that Mimi {Mike's mom} saved some self-portraits Mike drew years ago. We're also thankful for laughter:)


We're especially thankful for our families, who we enjoyed spending time with this week. They are truly blessings that we don't need to take for granted, and we are thankful that they live relatively close to us.





Last but certainly not least, I'm especially thankful for this guy, even when I'm in his shadow:)


Thank you God for all of our blessings!

Zulily

If you haven't heard about Zulily, you might want to add it to your list of sites for Christmas shopping. I've ordered pajamas, hats and most recently some Castles and Crowns pants for Trent. They had C&C brown corduroy pants for $14.99! They have different deals every day, and most are 40-60% off the retail price. Right now they have Crocs up to 65% off.

Check it out here. You can register for free, and if you buy anything, I get referral credit. So, if you like it, pass it along so you can get credit too!

Happy Thanksgiving! I'll be back soon with a Thanksgiving post:)

Halloween, Applique and Football

Meet Mr. Giraffe. He loved his costume, and I ended up having to hide it so he wouldn't ruin it before Halloween.


I wish I could take credit for this costume, but it came from our friend, Jackson, who grew out of it before he got to wear it. Thanks again Mindy and Jackson:)


Here is the costume I bought him. He liked it too. I found it for $3 at a consignment sale, so it's okay that it was almost too small for him.


He wore it as we handed out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween night.

In other news, November is flying by around here.


We've been spending lots of time outside.


We voted.


We celebrated Daddy G's birthday!


I spent some time with the embroidery machine.


We're watching lots of football on Saturdays.


And poor Bailey is being tortured having fun with her little brother.

I spent most of Trent's nap yesterday making Christmas lists, and now it's time to start shopping! I'm not a black Friday kind of gal, so I am hoping to get a lot done in the next couple of weeks. I need to read some Favorite Things posts to get some ideas!

Jack O Lantern Lane

My favorite Halloween tradition {can it be a tradition after two years?} is going to Jack O Lantern Lane with my family.


Yes, that would be my child, not looking at the camera.


He loved the hayride.


This is my favorite picture from the day.


I'm not sure why I look so short. I'll go with Tracy's better posing skills:)


Trent LOVED feeding the goat. He belly-laughed the whole time.


Picking out up our pumpkin


This was our best opportunity for a family picture, since he loved driving the tractor.


We took advantage of his compliance and took a big family photo.


This is a picture from last year. Look how much difference a year makes...

Thank you Jack O Lantern Lane!!

It starts early...

Boys like to read on the potty.


"Wow, I think I just did what I'm supposed to do when I sit here!"


"What? You're taking pictures? The blog? You've got to be kidding me!"

Chuck E Cheese

Daddy G {my dad} and I took Trent to Chuck E Cheese today. I had not been to Chuck E Cheese in 20 years, and I don't think much has changed. Well, except for the black light ID stamps.

Trent LOVED it. He loves characters! It blows my mind, since he doesn't like strangers and isn't even friendly towards non-strangers sometimes, but odd-looking characters win him over every time. {Yes, we are looking forward to Halloween.} I told Mike that maybe we should have character-themed family Christmas gatherings this year.

Please excuse the quality of these pictures. I resisted taking my camera to Chuck E Cheese, so these were taken with my phone.


All smiles with Chuck E! Yes, we put him on stage. Nobody else was in the room, so we decided to give him the full experience.


This car played "The Wheels on the Bus." It was also a favorite.


He liked this one until we put in the token. When it started moving, he was over it.


Why not give the big scary purple guy a hug?


He insisted on driving his own car versus sitting in Daddy G's lap.


I think this one confused him.


This was his face when we walked out of the building. Let's just say he would have preferred to stay longer:)

Happy Birthday Tracy!

Today is my sister's 27th birthday! I wish I could have celebrated with her at Miyako tonight! She's definitely worth celebrating. Do you think we look alike? I am three and a half years older, so it makes me very happy when people ask if we're twins or question who is older. I graduated from college the same day she graduated from high school. Thankfully my graduation was in the morning, and hers was at night. She was class president and gave a speech. I can't remember what she said, but she did a great job. I wonder if she regrets being an overachiever and being class president all four years, now that she's in charge of planning her reunion next year:)
Tracy has always been 100 times more athletic than me. She is laid back and anti-drama- very atypical for most girls and very lucky for my parents. She's a great wife and mom, and she's often the first person I call when I'm excited, sad or need advice. I am SO thankful that our boys are 7 months apart. I'm hope that one day we will live in the same town, so I can drop by her house and interrupt her naps. Just kidding T!
Happy 27th birthday! I love you!


She was a cute and large baby. I think my shirt is unisex. My parents still have the phone and couch- Just kidding!!

Laid back on the left, drama on the right.


She's always tanned easier and known how to pose better in pictures. I really wish this one was bigger, so you could see my painted shoes.